The Best Thin & Light Gaming Notebooks
"Mobile gaming" - what sounded like a poor joke a few years ago has already become common practice; at least in the notebook range. Processors and graphics cards are getting smaller and more power-efficient, which makes cooling easier. As a result, powerful components can be packed into slimmer and slimmer cases. Although 17-inch powerhouses still dominate the 15-inch and smaller range is steadily growing.
The following table shows an overview of the Top 10 gaming laptops reviewed by Notebookcheck in the previous 12 months that weigh less than 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) and are less than 2.0 cm (0.8 inches) thick. More gaming rankings from Notebookcheck:
The Best Thin and Light Gaming Laptops
The table above contains an overview over the best thin & light gaming notebooks reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Link: all devices in this class reviewed
Editors' Comments
Last month, the HP Omen Transcend 16 was too heavy for our list; in March, the new HP Omen Transcend 14 joins the list. Instead, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 will make way for reasons of age.
Alternatives that just didn't make it or were ousted again:
- Razer Blade 16 (2,46 kg, 91 %, 02/24)
- HP Omen Transcend 16 (2,284 kg, 88 %, 02/24)
- Asus Zenbook Pro 16x (2,4 kg; 91 %, 11/2023)
- MSI Stealth 14 Studio (rating, 85%)
- HP Omen Transcend 16 (just too heavy, 87.9%, 2023)
- Acer Predator Triton 300 SE (formerly 10th place)
- Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED BSF (former 10th place, 86.2%)
Former top ten contenders that have dropped out due to age:
1st – Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 (R9 8945HS, RTX 4070)
The new Asus ROG Ze phyrus G14 2024 no longer focuses on maximum performance, instead Asus wants to appeal to a larger customer group with a slimmer and more compact aluminum chassis. The result is an excellent gaming/multimedia hybrid with plenty of power.
The new ROG Zephyrus G14 is probably the best all-round notebook currently on the market. Asus combines a lot of positive features in a very high-quality and compact aluminum case with great input devices and excellent speakers, only the soldered RAM is a clear disadvantage.
The device sells through Asus’s own webshop as well as the usual retailers. Amazon US also lists some variants of the laptop, for example.
Pricecompare
2nd – Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2024 (Ultra 7 155H, RTX 4070)
With the new ROG Zephyrus G16 2024, Asus presents a completely new and significantly thinner design, which is intended to appeal to other target groups in addition to gamers. The result is a high-quality 16-inch computer with a great OLED panel and excellent speakers that can easily compete with Apple's MacBook Pro or the Razer Blade 16.
High-quality and lightweight aluminum housing, great OLED screen and excellent speakers: Thanks to its powerful hardware, the new ROG Zephyrus G16 can of course still display the latest games, but with the 2024 model, Asus is moving more towards high-end multimedia. Even if you don't have any gaming ambitions, it's worth taking a look at the new Zephyrus G16.
In the US, some variants of Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2024 are currently available on Amazon.
Pricecompare
3rd – Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16 (R7 7840HS, RTX 4060)
Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16 is a stylish and relatively light 16-inch gamer. The Intel version of the Legion laptop with RTX 4070 and Core i9-13900H also scores 90 percent, but we don't give it an extra place in our list.
The Ryzen 7 7840HS and the GeForce RTX 4060 harmonize quite well, so that high to maximum settings are often possible in the native resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels.
In the US, the reviewed Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16APH8 is available for around $1,600 USD on Amazon.
Pricecompare
4th – Razer Blade 15 OLED (i9-12900H, RTX 3070 Ti)
This incarnation of the Blade 15 continues to rely on potent Alder-Lake and Ampere hardware, but entices with an interesting upgrade: Razer installs a high-contrast OLED screen (QHD) including a high refresh rate (240 Hz) and excellent color space coverage.
Razer delivers a powerful tool for gamers and creatives with the Blade 15 OLED (Early 2022).
In the US, users can order a variant of Razer Blade 15 OLED (Early 22), which has the same configuration as reviewed model, via Amazon for around $1,1560.
Pricecompare
5th – Razer Blade 14 2024 (R9 8945HS, RTX 4070)
Razer is starting the new year strong with a small but solid update to its smallest Blade series. Most users will probably miss the AI improvements in the CPU, but the small changes to the GPU ensure that the 2024 Blade overtakes its predecessor.
If you are not interested in CPU AI or Wi-Fi 7, you may be convinced by the slight increase in graphics performance of the 2024 Blade 14. If not, the visually identical 2023 model offers almost the same performance for less money.
In the US, Amazon currently lists Razer Blade 14 2024 for around $2,700. The model is also available directly from Razer.
Pricecompare
6th – Asus ROG Flow X16 (Ryzen 9 6900HS, RTX 3070 Ti)
The Asus ROG Flow X16 is one thing above all - versatile! It's a slim, mobile work device, it's a convertible, a tablet, a powerful workstation and a gaming PC as well. What's even more surprising is that it does all of these things really well and hardly makes any major mistakes; it's anything but a lazy compromise.
The Asus ROG Flow X16 is an extremely versatile and powerful gaming workstation convertible with a good touch display.
At the time of writing, Amazon US lists a RTX 3050 variant of ROG Flow X16 for around $1,100.
Pricecompare
7th – MSI Stealth 16 Studio (i7-13700H, RTX 4070)
The MSI Stealth 16 Studio A13VG combines a 13th generation Intel and an Nvidia RTX 4070 laptop GPU. Visually, the Stealth 16 Studio is very dignified, which means that the device is not exclusively aimed at gamers. A demanding office routine in a discreet design and still playing the latest games in the evening are no problem.
The MSI Stealth 16 Studio A13VG is a very powerful and at the same time very light notebook for content creators and gamers.
In the US, the laptop can be ordered through Amazon US for around $2,650.
Pricecompare
8th – Asus ROG Flow Z13 ACRNM (i9-13900H, RTX 4070)
With the Asus ROG Flow Z13 special edition we have an unusual concept: gaming hardware, which is in a tablet, which is why the 13-inch convertible brings even demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 smoothly to the screen in the native WQHD resolution.
With the ACRNM special edition of the ROG Flow Z13, Asus offers an extremely powerful gaming convertible with an equally extreme design. Thanks to the new RTX 4070 laptop, even current games are displayed smoothly on the WQHD screen.
In the US, users can order a variant of ROG Flow Z13 2023, which is equipped with an i9-13900H and RTX 4050, via Amazon for about $1,660.
Pricecompare
9th – HP Omen Transcend 14 (Ultra 7 155H, RTX 4060)
The list of 14-inch gaming laptops is now growing with the HP Omen Transcend 14. It may not be as well known as the popular Razer Blade 14 or the Asus Zephyrus G14, but it has enough tricks up its sleeve to be a worthy competitor. The Omen Transcend 14 is designed for students or gamers who want to game, tinker and create anywhere, with an emphasis on portability. As a result, it is one of the smallest and lightest notebooks in the Omen family with a screen size of just 14 inches.
The first 14-inch Omen notebook gets a lot right when it comes to looks, specs and price. It is significantly cheaper than the competition, but the performance is a little slower.
The HP Omen Transcend 14 with Intel hardware is now available on Bestbuy with for around $1,500.
Pricecompare
10th – Acer Predator Triton 14 (i9-13700H, RTX 4050)
The compact gaming notebook is state-of-the-art: Raptor Lake, Ada Lovelace, LPDDR5, PCIe 4, Thunderbolt 4. It is the almost identical successor of the already reviewed Acer Predator Triton 300 SE. The 14-incher offers a lot of performance, (Core i7-13700H, GeForce RTX 4050), a very bright screen (WQXGA, 165 Hz, G-Sync) in 16:10 format and a Thunderbolt 4 port.
A lot of computing power in a 14-inch format: Acer delivers a potent notebook with the Predator Triton 14.
Some variants of the 14-inch Predator Triton 300 SE are now available from Amazon, a model in a similar configuration to our reviewed unit costs around $1,190.
Pricecompare
Top 10 in Comparison
Test Results
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 GA403U | Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2024 GU605M | Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16APH8 | Razer Blade 15 OLED (Early 2022) | Razer Blade 14 RZ09-0508 | Asus ROG Flow X16 GV601V | MSI Stealth 16 Studio A13VG | Asus ROG Flow Z13 ACRNM | HP Omen Transcend 14-fb0014 | Acer Predator Triton 14 PT14-51 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | ||||||||||
Display P3 Coverage | 99.6 | 99.9 | 70.3 | 97.6 | 96.9 | 96.61 | 96.4 | 96.94 | 99.6 | 96.9 |
sRGB Coverage | 100 | 100 | 99.6 | 99.4 | 99.8 | 99.92 | 99.7 | 99.92 | 100 | 99.9 |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 89.9 | 96.9 | 72.4 | 94 | 85 | 84.63 | 84.8 | 85.17 | 96.1 | 85.5 |
Response Times | ||||||||||
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 0.62 ? | 0.22 ? | 12.6 ? | 2 ? | 6 ? | 3.8 ? | 4.4 ? | 2.1 ? | 0.86 ? | 15.1 ? |
Response Time Black / White * | 0.68 ? | 0.25 ? | 5.9 ? | 2 ? | 8.3 ? | 7.6 ? | 5.6 ? | 3 ? | 0.99 ? | 5.8 ? |
PWM Frequency | 960 ? | 960 ? | 500 ? | 479 ? | ||||||
Screen | ||||||||||
Brightness middle | 423 | 416 | 545 | 383 | 484.1 | 486 | 424 | 464 | 386.3 | 547 |
Brightness | 424 | 418 | 502 | 384 | 466 | 469 | 411 | 455 | 389 | 516 |
Brightness Distribution | 98 | 96 | 82 | 99 | 89 | 91 | 88 | 89 | 98 | 88 |
Black Level * | 0.01 | 0.48 | 0.03 | 0.38 | 0.39 | 0.37 | 0.4 | 0.56 | ||
Contrast | 42300 | 1135 | 12767 | 1274 | 1246 | 1146 | 1160 | 977 | ||
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.36 | 1.89 | 2.23 | 2.27 | 3.04 | 2 | 4.03 | 3.28 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.11 | 3.76 | 4.57 | 5.73 | 7.5 | 4.2 | 6.69 | 8.57 |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 0.8 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.26 | 1.6 | 3.36 | 4.34 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 4.4 |
Gamma | 2.18 101% | 2.16 102% | 2.253 98% | 2.41 91% | 2.24 98% | 2.46 89% | 2.32 95% | 2.24 98% | 2.25 98% | 2.168 101% |
CCT | 6505 100% | 6331 103% | 6631 98% | 6386 102% | 6816 95% | 6625 98% | 6952 93% | 6832 95% | 6280 104% | 7767 84% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.04 | 2.67 | 0.74 | 0.6 | 3.04 | 1.2 | 1.07 | 1.09 | ||
Noise | ||||||||||
off / environment * | 23.9 | 23.9 | 24 | 26 | 24.3 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24.5 | 25 |
Idle Minimum * | 23.9 | 23.9 | 25 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24.7 | 27 |
Idle Average * | 23.9 | 27.8 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24.7 | 29 |
Idle Maximum * | 23.9 | 30.1 | 31 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 36.5 | 24.7 | 31 |
Load Average * | 46.2 | 34.2 | 33 | 38.5 | 33 | 36.71 | 34.81 | 41.3 | 25.2 | 42 |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 46.2 | 46.4 | 47 | 49.5 | 50.92 | 44.05 | 44.7 | 47 | 43 | |
Load Maximum * | 46.2 | 46.4 | 49 | 43.9 | 51.9 | 50.92 | 51.57 | 46.9 | 52 | 45 |
Heat | ||||||||||
Maximum Upper Side * | 46.6 | 50.3 | 46 | 49.5 | 41.8 | 46 | 60 | 42.5 | 41.2 | 54 |
Maximum Bottom * | 47.8 | 48 | 46 | 47.5 | 42.2 | 41 | 61 | 42.6 | 39 | 56 |
Idle Upper Side * | 26.7 | 28.8 | 33 | 33.4 | 34.8 | 36 | 38.2 | 26.2 | 26.2 | 31 |
Idle Bottom * | 27.8 | 29.8 | 34 | 35 | 37.4 | 33 | 37.7 | 26 | 25.4 | 31 |
Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
WiFi v1.3 | 555 | 435 | 424 | 274 | 428 | 474 | 466 | 398 | 517 | 302 |
Load | 64 | 71 | 125 | 72 | 89 | 142 | 52 | 66 | 109 | |
Reader / Idle | 404 | 480 | 661 | 622 | 669 | |||||
Power Consumption | ||||||||||
Idle Minimum * | 6.9 | 8.3 | 33 | 31.6 | 20.9 | 9.6 | 11 | 8.9 | 12 | |
Idle Average * | 8.6 | 12.5 | 35 | 33.3 | 25.6 | 16 | 18 | 12.6 | 14 | |
Idle Maximum * | 9 | 12.8 | 45 | 38.6 | 32.1 | 16.9 | 19 | 13 | 26 | |
Load Average * | 75.2 | 71.3 | 59 | 149 | 72.7 | 104 | 91 | 92.5 | 88 | |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 109.7 | 127.5 | 131 | 149.6 | 182.1 | 142 | 130 | 104.4 | 114.9 | |
Load Maximum * | 161.6 | 169.1 | 177 | 160 | 228.4 | 214 | 228 | 133.6 | 213 |
* ... smaller is better